shipping until december 23 but you should know those shipments are not guaranteed to arrive by christmas day. >> important information there. lots more still ahead in our next half-hour. >> coming up, the aftermath of that first snowfall and getting ready for the next one. we'll have live team coverage. >> and then later, a light night on capitol hill, but this morning, a tax cut deal is headed to the president's desk. "good morning washington" begins right now. >> welcome back. good morning, washington. i'm pamela brown. >> i'm scott thurman. closed, culpepper, fauquier, king george county, prince william county, rappahannock,

spotsylvania as well. >> the federal government is open today for those of you wondering and don't forget there is a complete list at the top of your screen all morning long. >> let's check in with jim in just a minute but first a busy day for adam. >> yes, yesterday was a bit busy. the snowfall averaged an inch and a half across the region, i would say, on average. some areas 2.5 pushing 3 inches but i measured about 1.6 at my house in arlington. let's talk temperatures outside. it will be slow getting out of the neighborhood. it is doable but some snow cover and slick spots. 25 now at reagan national. 12 in martinsburg. 19 in frederick. we'll be in the mid 30's today. above freezing, which will help melt things down a bit.

possibly some icy refreezing spots on the roads tonight. mostly cloudy tomorrow. we'll talk more about the weekend and snow chances coming up. let's go to jim. >> we have some issues out there as you might expect. on the beltway, there is a truck accident. a tractor-trailer slid off the road and is blocking the right side. in prince william county, virginia, along route 1 near the near the intersection with mount pleasant, shut down. we were not given a reason. slick ramps along 95 in prince william counties to get into the expressway. watch it on the bridges, the ramps and overpasses for sure. back to you. >> thank you, jim. not much snow, but just enough for some lingering problems. this morning, the metro vetion

getting off to a slow start. >> refreeze on the road is the concern. we have a check on conditions. how is it where you are, courtney? >> we're out here in fairfax and you can see, just take a look at this side street. there is definitely this nice layer of compacted snow. you can see slick spots but you also notice that a plow did come through here. in fact, we have seen a number of plows coming by because if you take a look over to your right here on nutly street, this area is completely clear here. there is a plow coming by now taking care of major roadways, making sure they are clear and passable for commuters this morning. i'm hearing from vdot they have pretty treacherous areas, so you do need to be careful on the bridges, overpasses and

ramps because there are some slick spots and because over the refreeze. >> take it easy out there. now, we want to turn to bethesda where we continue our live team coverage. ben? >> just because it is friday, we're going to have a little fun today. we're going to do a word of the day, after much rigorous debate is icy. ben, it looks pretty clear behind you and it is pretty clear on the main roads. on the main roads in bethesda, the crews working throughout the night have won the war, but on neighborhood roads, it is still very icy. we've seen some drivers having problems on their way here. we had a fairly easy time and though montgomery county scrools delayed two hours today, things seem to be pretty clear. we haven't seen in salt truck or sanding. it is pretty much roughed up over here.

>> we're not only the ones dealing with the aftermath to have winter storm. the storm created icy conditions in the south leading to hundreds of accidents. five people have been killed. upstate new york is cleaning up from even more snow. you can get up to the minute traffic, weather and school closing any time on tbd.com. that's the online hope of abc 7 news. >> new this morning, after a long night and even longer debate, the house passed president obama's tax cut compromise with congressional republicans. we'll have much more on that vote coming up in a live report in just a few minutes. metro train and bus passengers can expect random bag searches starting immediately. move follows two recent alleged terror plots targeting the transit agency. the random inspection also take only a few minutes and will be

nonintrusive but some riders are skeptical. >> quite frankly, i don't think metro has their act together enough to pull it off without creating a huge backup. >> transit police will use ionizeation devices and bomb-sniffing dogs. >> americans are urged to be vigilant because of worries terrorists may attack this holiday season. state and local departments are warned to stay on alert. they don't mention any specific threats across the u.s. it is 5:06 on this friday morning. we are at 23 degrees. >> coming up, the star-studied goodbye to larry king live. we'll show you who stopped by. >> first a peek at the weekend

>> welcome back, everybody. we have lots of school delays and closings to tell you about. let's get straight to them here. culpepper, fauquier, king george, prince william, rappahannock, spotsylvania, stafford closed today. a two-hour delay in fairfax,

loudoun, manassas city, prince george's county, a two-hour delay today and also the federal government is open. >> so they have to work. let's head to traffic and weather. adam caskey joining with us a look at conditions. adam? >> it is getting out of neighborhoods that will be slippery this morning. otherwise the main roads seem to be ok. 22 in ayodelify. -- adelphi. we have some closed overhead. we're focused south but nothing has developed yet. saturday into sunday, then, this low should track to the north and likely kick off to the east. now with the current projected track, we can get a few flurries and maybe a dusting of

snow out of this system on sunday. however, should this track shift further to west and jogs closer to the coastline, then we could be looking at slightly more snowfall and there is a higher potential on sunday. now it is really not looking like much. still, just a chance of a few light snow showers mainly south and east of the metro. the mid 30's today, becoming sunny today. we'll see a lot of melting. mid 30's again on sunday with a slight chance of a snowshower. let's go to jim. >> we're looking at 270 where it is starting to slow down just a bit. here you can see that sort of sheen on the roads and that's what you can expect on the interstate. it is still wet out there. you might find some ice. watch tonight brings, ramps and overpasses -- brings, ramps and overpasses.

we had an accident on the beltway. a tractor-trailer slid off the road but the right side blocked . jefferson plaza shut down each way due a police investigation. >> take it easy as you head out today. it is 5:12 on this friday morning. 23 degrees. >> coming up in today's "tech bytes," we're going to talk about an online bill of rights. a new push for internet privacy law. >> congress has passed a

>> your time now is 5:14. welcome back. we want to give you a look at the school closings. culpepper, fauquier, king

county, closed. fairfax county, loudoun, manassas, two-hour delays. calvert, frederick, montgomery two-hour delays. calvert is closed. >> also want to mention that the federal government is open today. we want to turn to the massive bipartisan tax package. >> not everyone is happy with this deal. karen joins us live with the details. karen, this has been quite a battle now. >> it has been, good morning, scott and pamela. after months of fierce debate and compromise, congress had ensured no americans would see a tax increase on january 1. the plan will extend the bush tax cuts for all americans for two more years and unemployment

benefits for 13 more months. it is aimed at boosting the struggling economy. households with an income of about $50,000 will continue to see their $2,000 tax cuts. president obama defended the compromise saying it was necessary to ensure the bill would pass. an important thing with all of this is that none of the provisions of this bill are paid for. as democrats and republicans argue about budget cuts, it will lead to a massive deficit. >> a bill was designed to keep the government running until the end of the fiscal year. senate leaders said they will put together a bill to keep the

government running until early next year. >> around the region, friends and family o are mourning the loss of a soldier from manasas. he was killed in afghanistan. he was killed while on patrol. he was a graduate of bristol district high school. his widow is expecting their first child in april. kenneth ellerbewas a d.c. deputy fire chief. he has continued to take a tax deduction on a home he owns in d.c. even though he has been living in florida. ellerbe says he will clear up the tax issue. some local students who became ill after eating brownies are in good condition. they were allegedly laced with

marijuana. the brownies were given to police. >> in "tech bytes," visa's apps are exclusive. >> in today's "tech bytes," a new call for an online privacy bill of rights. the obama administration had issued a proposal to protect our personal information. it suggests rules requiring companies to give clear notice about what data they are collecting and how they are using it while giving customers a chance to opt out. the new rules require congressional action. visa launched an iphone app. app uses the phone's g.p.s. to tap into local stores. discounts are broke into categories like entertainment, electronics and food and users can specify which types they want. just in time for the holiday, an online video school. it offers how-to videos with

step-by-step explanation. those are your "tech bytes." i'm rob nelson. >> time for traffic and weather every 10 minutes. >> adam caskey is joining us. we talk about what a pain the ice can be. >> also seeing some visuals why the ice is nice. >> and how cool the ice can be. literally and figuratively. >> this features "how the grinch stole christmas." this is all ice carvings. the chairs, the figures. that is colored ice. this is all entirely made of ice. it is something cool to do this weekend, going on through the 30th of december. i suggest getting tickets in advance. it is housed in a tent that's 15,000 square feet and kept at

9 degrees. they give you coats by the way spon entrance. snowfall reports from yesterday, damascus, two inches. madison, virginia, 3 inches. spotsylvania, 3.5. my house in arlington, 1.5. reagan national, not far down the road, 1.5 inches. pretty much went as expected. just enough to cover some of the grass. 18 in frederick. 23 in culpepper. 25 in lexington park. i don't know, this afternoon we're going to climb above freezing. going to be nice. we'll be in the mid 30's. a good chance to that you out. -- to thaw out. the melting snow makes for good packing snowballs.

we're expecting a low pressure system to develop off the north carolina coastal. most likely it will stay far east of our region. however there is some -- guidance suggesting maybe a little more of a westerly patch that could threaten more snow showers. wouldn't be much. doesn't look like much now. something to keep an eye on. mid 30's today. slight chance of a few snow showers on sunday. then mid 30's all the way through next week. it's cold. let's go back to jim. >> really got to be careful out there this morning. at the very least you're going to find wet roads. we have a truck descend. the tractor-trailer slid off the road. prince william county, virginia, an accident with police investigation closing route one near jefferson plaza. traffic along 95, watch the ramps in the express lanes and

main lanes. they are snow-covered and icy. somebody found that out the hard way on northbound 95 in newington. a vehicle slammed into the jersey wall. stay to the right to get to the express in newington. traffic is in pretty good shape so far. this is beltway. you can see here at the very least, it is going to be wet. pamela, scott, back to you. >> thank you so much. it is 5:22. we have 23 degrees on this friday. >> coming up next, the wizards battle to stay out of the conference dungeon. >> and then a little later today, oprah's ultimate favorite things ever. that's at 4:00 here on abc 7.

>> good morning, washington. the wizards traveled to new jersey last night in hopes of snapping that 0-12 record. it was complicated by the fact that john wall didn't play again. rook at gilbert. that was a three and it was a five-point game. to thornton. yes, sir. the game was tied at 75-75.

wizards couldn't get over the hunch. watch this shot. the junior was 9- 14. he had three threes. that shot was spectacular. and one. have a great day everybody. >> it is 5:26. the news continues with "good morning washington" at 5:30. >> not yet finished with our holiday shopping? an important deadline is fast approaching. >> how montgomery county is handling the aftermath of this storm. >> it is cold outside this morning. still some slick spots on the side streets. we'll talk about your

>> straight ahead this half-hour. just enough to make a mess. it is a slow and slippery beginning to the weekend. good morning, washington. it is friday, december 17. an icy one out there. >> thank you so much for waking up with us on this friday. i'm pamela brown. alison has the morning off. we want to get straight to closures and delays. as you can see here, schools in culpepper, fauquier, king george, prince william, rappahannock, spots vailia, closed today. -- spotsylvania closed today.

turning to maryland now, schools in calvert county are closed. st. mary's and charles county. frederick, a two-hour delay. montgomery county and prince george's county, washington county, a two-hour delay there as well. the federal government is open today. you can catch a list of close even closures scroling at the top of your screen. going to be a busy day out there. adam, what are we looking at? >> it is craze dwroy start our day . -- crazy to start our day. still some slick spots. we will get above freezing today around lunchtime. with sunshine. that will help soften things up. 3 martinsburg checking in at 17. inside warmer today with high

temperatures in the mid 30's. maybe a few upper 30's here and there. mostly cloudy tomorrow. a fair amount of cloud cover this weekend. lows in the lower 20's. there is a slight chance of snow showers on sunday, mainly south and east of the moat row area. >> we have some incidents, we have a variety of issues, southbound avenue dale city, an accident on the left shoulder. problems with the entrance ramps, covered with snow and ice. a vehicle crashed into the jersey wall not be 95 in newington. stay right to get by. don't let these conditions catch you off guard. you're going to find slip riness out on the beltway as well. near the jefferson plaza we had

an accident there. route 1 is closed in each direction because of that. >> thank you, jim. this morning, it is all about the aftermath. light snow could mean slippery side roads thanks to an overnight freeze. >> courtney is keeping an eye on conditions in fairfax. how is it where you are? >> pamela, we have seen plows coming through the major roadways, but here on the side streets, you can see that a plow definitely came through but you still have that top layer of mush and underneath that of course is ice. if we step over here, you can see the slick area, we're right in front of marshall road elementary school. of course, this school operating on a two-hour delay likely because of streets like this and neighborhoods around the area. we want to make sure when the sun comes out it starts to melt things down and we don't experience those icy conditions. on nutly street, it is

completely clear. we have seen clouds and salt trucks coming through making sure things don't get slick out here. of course no promises on that because as you heard jim talking about that, there are definitely icy patches out there, even on the major roadways so you do want to be cautious as you're driving be it on a major roadway or of course on a side street like this one, as you're leaving your neighborhood, take things cautiously because there is that crunchy layer and underneath it a nice, slick layer of ice. >> thank you, courtney. ben is live in bethesda with what drivers are dealing with there. >> figured since it is friday, we'll have a lot of fund a do a word of the day. we decided that word is going to be icy. i know what you're thinking. the roads behind me look pretty clear. at the same time, the problem

still, some of these neighborhood side roads. you can see this road just beside it has quite a bit of snow on it. it has become a problem for drivers. checking out the side roads, they are still largely covered with snow. montgomery county roads are clear despite the fact that schools have been delayed for a couple of hours, but on the whole, we haven't seen any plows and salt trucks or ambulances as we did yesterday. seems like this battle has been won by the road crews. back to you. >> you may encounter some problems if you plan on flying today. the good news is the region's three major airports all are open but officials say there could be flight delays and cancellations. you're advised to check with your airline before you go to the airport. stay with abc 7 on air and online for your complete snow coverage. coming up next hour, doug hill

will join us live with our next chance of winter weather. >> it is 5 deln 34. new this morning, it doesn't look like americans will see their taxes go up after the house aproved the bill to extend bush tax cuts and jobless benefits. we'll have a live report coming up in a few minutes from now. metro transit police plan to conduct random bag searches. the move follows two recent alleged terror plots targeting the transits agency they said the searches will take just a few secondses and will be nonobtrusive. >> quite frankly i don't think metro has their act together to pull it off without a huge backup. >> transit police will use ionizeation devices and bomb-sniffing dogs looking for explosives and hazardous materials.

there are screening process may need some screening itself. checkpoint screenings have yet to catch a terrorist. in recent attempts, terrorists have been invaded -- have been evaded by intelligence work or alert passengers. >> it is now 24 degrees. >> still ahead on "good morning washington," larry king signs off. >> not very often in my life have i been without words. >> the talk show legend's emotional farewell after 25 years behind the mic. >> first another check on traffic and weather and the day after. we'll be right back. you're watching "good morning washington." we'll leave you with another look here of ice. this is the display. beautiful ice sculptures. we'll have more coming up in

>> i'm major janet fitzgerald from the salvation army reminding you to give generously the holiday season. good morning, washington! >> a cheery welcome back. glad to have you with us.

if you're just tuning in, we want to get straight to some school closings and delays. culpeper, fauquier, frederick and king george all closed. prince william, rappahannock, spotsylvania, stafford, closed. fairfax, loudoun, manassas, two-hour delays. frederick on a two-hour delay. prince george and washington on two-hour delays there. >> also the federal government is open today. >> time for a check the on traffic and weather every 10 minutes. let's get right to adam caskey. a busy man dealing with the aftermath. right, adam? >> getting out of the neighborhood will be the hardest part this morning, but definitely doable. 22 in the district. 18 in poolesville. we're going to get above freezing this afternoon so that

will help thaw things out a bit. now this weekend, on saturday, still expecting a coastal storm to develop off the carolina coastline. then it will jog to the north and kick off to the north and east, most likely on a path that veers the snow away from our region, but very close to us, so that said, any minor deviation in this track could throw some snow our way on sunday. but should it do that, it will probably be very light with minute ma'am accumulation. -- minimal accumulation. mid 30's, throughout the extended forecast, there is that slight chance of snow. about 30% on sunday and that chance is mainly south and east of the districts. another slight chance tuesday and wednesday. >> travel on i-95 in virginia,

a southbound crash at dale city. northbound 95, no delays so far but the express lane ramps, a lot of them are still snow covered. you cannot take them at highway speed. the bust you can hope to find out there is going to be bare pavement that is wet. you can see the sheen there off the roadway. it is going to be a little bit slippery out there, even if it isn't icy. a truck crash off to the road on the right and route 1, closed at mount pleasant drive because of a police investigation. scott and pamela, back to you. >> thank you, jim. it is 5:42. 24 degrees outside. >> coming up on "good morning washington," the christmas shopping deadline. >> this bill will kill our children. >> but first, it certainly

wasn't popular but it pass pd.

>> welcome back. time now is 5:that. a quick check of the latest school closings and delays. frederick, fauquier, culpeper, stafford counties closed today. also a two-hour delay in fairfax, loudoun, manassas city and manassas park. calvert county, charles county and st. mary's county closed today and a two-hour delay at frederick county, montgomery county and prince george's county and washington county today. >> as we speak about what is going on with with the bush tax cuts. it is on to president obama's desk for a signature.

>> we have more. >> the house of representatives passed a temporary extension of all of the bush tax cuts. >> the motion is adopted. >> the 858 billion dollar tax plan will extend the bush tax cuts for all americans for two more years and extend unemployment benefits for 13 ponts more. 9 million americans. and i approve credit aimed at boosting the struggling economy. the average u.s. household with an average income of $50,000 will continue to keep its tax cut of over $2,000. the most content, aspect of the bill, the wealthy americans making over $250,000. president obama promised to roll back these cuts but the president backed down. none of the provisions in this

bill are paid for so as democrats and republicans argue about spending, these tax cuts will add nearly a trillion dollars to the skyrocketing national deficit. >> the founder of the wiki leeks web side is out of jail this morning. conditions of his release include wearing an electronic tag. you can hear more from him when he talks to "good morning america." >> looking at news now around the region, a bill requiring the arnle to account for all graves in arlington cemetery now has house approval. the house overwhelmingly passed that yesterday. there are more than 200 unmarked or mislabeled graves. the senate approved that bill earlier this month.

the u.s. capital was briefly locked down yesterday because of reports of a man with a gun. susan collins took this picture of 41-year-old paul agoles ujwok being arrested. he did not actually have a gun. police george's county superintendent has a tough new budget plan. his proposal, that was unveiled yesterday, would freeze school employee pay and eliminate middle school sports. class sizes would stay constant. >> time now for traffic and weather every 10 minutes. >> adam, we were showing this earlier today. lovely way to enjoy the ice, perhaps without sliding around on it. >> it is visually appealing. this is beautiful. this is the ice exhibit. >> check this out. this is all made of ice.

even the colors portions. that's all made of ice. they use a couple of dozen art zans from china. they work in 12-hour shifts and it takes them about one month in create this spectacle and all of the detail involved in coloring and carving this ice. how much ice is there? two million pounds. that is a lot of ice. here are our snowfall reports from yesterday. not all that much, but it is nice when these storms go less than expected. i have to admit. three inches, madison. my backyard in arlington, i picked up 1.5 inches of snow. just a good little coating we had yesterday. temperature also rise above freezing and with the sunshine, will be able to melt and thaw

that snow. that makes for better pack snow. better snowball fights today than yesterday. 21 in manassas. annapolis at 23. the sky will clear out. we'll see a fair amount of sunshine today and then look ahead towards the weekend. the coastal low pressure system is going to form up the carolina coastline tomorrow and that should track to the north and kick off to the east. that is the general consensus. it will likely keep the snow just out of our region. just out of our region, but that means one little deviation and track to the west, well, then we could see a few areas of light light snow, especially east of 95 on sunday. but right now, the general consensus is that it will be close but not quite close enough. eastern shore, yeah, you'll probably see some areas of snow. mid 30's for high temperatures today. a lot of sunshine. about a 30% chance of seeing

the snow on sunday. it is a very low probability. something to update through the day and into the weekend. temperatures don't change much. don't expect an arctic blast any time soon. mid 30's. maybe a few light showers of snow of course tuesday and wednesday. that's it for the forecasts. back to jim. >> looking at 270, adam. this shows us despite the late openings we still have a lot of traffic on the roads and shows us that the big roads are still wet and that means we could have some prefreezing. there could be some ithe ice out there. there was an accident earlier on the beltway. a truck crash. it is off the road to right but there is still activity along the side of the roadway. in virginia, 95 has been the big deal so far. the express lane ramps from prince william county, all of

them are pretty much snow and ice covered. there was an accident in newington. you had to stay to the right to get to the main express lanes in newington. back to you. >> ox. >> ok. >> more than 6,000 -- 60,000 interviewsst, larry king inside off last night. during his long career, he has conducted more than 50,000 interviews. >> i am -- i don't know what to say, except to you. my audience. thank you. instead of goodbye, how about so long. >> except for an agreement to host four specials a year on cnn, it is not clear yet what the future holds for larry

king. talks about doing comedy. we're going back to radio. i would imagine you feel like you logged just many hours as larry king. >> there you have it. a lot of people like him have a bunch of -- their closet. >> now he is hanging them up. for good. >> 5:54 your time. 24 degrees outside. you're

>> welcome back. we're just eight days away from christmas. >> true, but time is running out to get those gifts to loved ones if you are on a budget. >> the national retail federation said the shipping deadline for most stores is either today or tomorrow. >> i would pay the shipping anyway if i really wanted it to come. >> sometimes it is worth it to save the time and hassle and the perilous driving and parking and malls. >> because of the recent winter weather, hundreds of retailers are taking part in free shipping day today and they hope that will give holiday shopping season a bit of a boost. >> today will be the day to shop online then. >> still a lot more to come here in this second hour of "good morning washington." >> coming up, protection versus

privacy. the controversial new security measure.

>> straight ahead, the aftermath of the first snowfall. we are getting ready for the next one and we will have live team coverage. >> later, a late night on capitol hill but this morning